What Benford Promised vs. what Benford delivered

[UNT90]

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205418845

Play fast and loose with a purpose. Expect great work ethic.

The way he wanted to play: "to win championships you need to play defense". Goal was to be one of the best defenses in the country. Goal is to win big.

"Johnny has done a great job... my job is just to take it to the next level"

Goal is to win the conference tournament "which we are going to do" and win in the NCAA. "You want to take over a program where they understand how to win"

Recruiting - "We are going to build it with local guys"

http://sportdfw.com/2012/11/01/north-texas-coach-tony-benford-discusses-tony-mitchell-and-mean-green-basketball-at-sun-belt-media-day/

"I think the new rules for the NCAA allows us to work our guys in the summer, it was really beneficial for us as a staff coming in to a veteran group we were able to work. Like to give coach Jones (Johnny, left for LSU) a lot of credit he did a great job of getting us some really quality players, obviously he had a lot of success here. We were able to kind of put our staff on early as far as how we want to play, how hard we want to play, what we want to do offensively and defensively and our guys have been accountable. They’ve been getting better every day I like where we are at right now."

"I have a great staff, a few guys on here (Rob Evans, Bart Lundy) that have won 200-300 games in their careers. Our unity, our chemistry is really good right now. I think the guys understand our system, they understand were going to win games with defense rebounding. They understand that’s our philosophy, offensively were going to try and get easy baskets and force it in transition. They are starting to understand how we want to play but more importantly how hard we have to play if we are going to have a chance to win games."

"Yea it really helps when you inherit a really good group, a group that’s had some success. They obviously didn’t have the success they wanted last year but everyone talks about how much talent we have but we only had 1 guy on the all conference team so I don’t know how much talent we do have. You look at some teams middle Tennessee I think could be like Murray State this year. With the players they have back and I think they are really talented, they won 25 games last year. I’ve got a good group; I have 5 seniors and 3 really good underclassmen. We have a kid Keith Coleman who I think is a Big East center at 6’10 and 250; he’s a quality player. We added also PJ Hardwick a guard who originally signed with Mississippi State, he’s a really good possession type point guard we were fortunate to get him when we took over the job so we have some pieces. We are coming together, we have a good group and we are excited about it, were excited about we are excited about the challenge. We have a great player in tony Mitchell but like the coaches said we have talent but we don’t have the best talent because we only have one preseason all conference player."

On Mitchell's progress:

"Yea Tony has, as you guys know Tony obviously didn’t join the team until the second semester and that’s very difficult. I was telling a couple people the other day. Tony and I were talking about it was tough he wasn’t able to practice during the fall and had to come in and step right up into the fire so to speak. He had a great summer with us being able to work with him on a lot of fundamentals just trying to tighten his game up a little bit. He went to a couple Lebron James camps, Amare Stoudemire camp, played against some really good competition and that was really good for him. He is excited he’s been working extremely hard, he’s getting better every day and we are very fortunate to have a player of his caliber to coach."

Now, let's take a look at some numbers:

2011-2012 season This Year

Off. FG % 43.4 (169th nationally) 41.3 (ranked 267th nationally)

Def. FG% 40.6 (42nd nationally) 41.7 (ranked 119th nationally)

3 pt FG% 32.12 28.46

PPG 70.3 (116th nationally) 68.4 (153rd nationally)

Opp PPG 65.0 (106th nationally) 69.4 (241st nationally)

Conf. PPG 71.9 68.5

Conf. Opp PPG 65.7 73.2

RPG 39.0 (17th nationally) 37.1 (ranked 63rd nationally)

Opp RPG 34.9 (220th nationally) 36.1 (ranked 268th nationally)

APG 12.0 (239th ntionally) 10.2 (ranked 317th nationally)

Across the board decline from last year. With a team whose main contributors were one year older with one year of college experience under their belts.They are supposed to be getting better, not worse.

A center he called Big East worthy averaged 8.4 MPG, 1.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.8 TO per game while shooting 34.8% from the floor and 44.4% from the line.

Better defense? Uh, no.

Run with a purpose? Uh, no.

Tighten up Tony's game? Across the boards decline in numbers.

Winning games with defense and rebounding? Hardly.

Take it to the next level? Yep. Well, actually a couple of levels. Down.

We lose 5 seniors, including the most talented player to play here in years, go into a tougher conference, and there are actually people who expect us to be better?

Amazing.

And we refuse to correct this mistake.

[Dr. Seuss]

We've been on the same page the whole time and I agree again.

[emmitt01]

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205418845

Play fast and loose with a purpose. Expect great work ethic.

The way he wanted to play: "to win championships you need to play defense". Goal was to be one of the best defenses in the country. Goal is to win big.

"Johnny has done a great job... my job is just to take it to the next level"

Goal is to win the conference tournament "which we are going to do" and win in the NCAA. "You want to take over a program where they understand how to win"

Recruiting - "We are going to build it with local guys"

http://sportdfw.com/2012/11/01/north-texas-coach-tony-benford-discusses-tony-mitchell-and-mean-green-basketball-at-sun-belt-media-day/

"I think the new rules for the NCAA allows us to work our guys in the summer, it was really beneficial for us as a staff coming in to a veteran group we were able to work. Like to give coach Jones (Johnny, left for LSU) a lot of credit he did a great job of getting us some really quality players, obviously he had a lot of success here. We were able to kind of put our staff on early as far as how we want to play, how hard we want to play, what we want to do offensively and defensively and our guys have been accountable. They’ve been getting better every day I like where we are at right now."

"I have a great staff, a few guys on here (Rob Evans, Bart Lundy) that have won 200-300 games in their careers. Our unity, our chemistry is really good right now. I think the guys understand our system, they understand were going to win games with defense rebounding. They understand that’s our philosophy, offensively were going to try and get easy baskets and force it in transition. They are starting to understand how we want to play but more importantly how hard we have to play if we are going to have a chance to win games."

"Yea it really helps when you inherit a really good group, a group that’s had some success. They obviously didn’t have the success they wanted last year but everyone talks about how much talent we have but we only had 1 guy on the all conference team so I don’t know how much talent we do have. You look at some teams middle Tennessee I think could be like Murray State this year. With the players they have back and I think they are really talented, they won 25 games last year. I’ve got a good group; I have 5 seniors and 3 really good underclassmen. We have a kid Keith Coleman who I think is a Big East center at 6’10 and 250; he’s a quality player. We added also PJ Hardwick a guard who originally signed with Mississippi State, he’s a really good possession type point guard we were fortunate to get him when we took over the job so we have some pieces. We are coming together, we have a good group and we are excited about it, were excited about we are excited about the challenge. We have a great player in tony Mitchell but like the coaches said we have talent but we don’t have the best talent because we only have one preseason all conference player."

On Mitchell's progress:

"Yea Tony has, as you guys know Tony obviously didn’t join the team until the second semester and that’s very difficult. I was telling a couple people the other day. Tony and I were talking about it was tough he wasn’t able to practice during the fall and had to come in and step right up into the fire so to speak. He had a great summer with us being able to work with him on a lot of fundamentals just trying to tighten his game up a little bit. He went to a couple Lebron James camps, Amare Stoudemire camp, played against some really good competition and that was really good for him. He is excited he’s been working extremely hard, he’s getting better every day and we are very fortunate to have a player of his caliber to coach."

Now, let's take a look at some numbers:

2011-2012 season This Year

Off. FG % 43.4 (169th nationally) 41.3 (ranked 267th nationally)

Def. FG% 40.6 (42nd nationally) 41.7 (ranked 119th nationally)

3 pt FG% 32.12 28.46

PPG 70.3 (116th nationally) 68.4 (153rd nationally)

Opp PPG 65.0 (106th nationally) 69.4 (241st nationally)

Conf. PPG 71.9 68.5

Conf. Opp PPG 65.7 73.2

RPG 39.0 (17th nationally) 37.1 (ranked 63rd nationally)

Opp RPG 34.9 (220th nationally) 36.1 (ranked 268th nationally)

APG 12.0 (239th ntionally) 10.2 (ranked 317th nationally)

Across the board decline from last year. With a team whose main contributors were one year older with one year of college experience under their belts.They are supposed to be getting better, not worse.

A center he called Big East worthy averaged 8.4 MPG, 1.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG, and 0.8 TO per game while shooting 34.8% from the floor and 44.4% from the line.

Better defense? Uh, no.

Run with a purpose? Uh, no.

Tighten up Tony's game? Across the boards decline in numbers.

Winning games with defense and rebounding? Hardly.

Take it to the next level? Yep. Well, actually a couple of levels. Down.

We lose 5 seniors, including the most talented player to play here in years, go into a tougher conference, and there are actually people who expect us to be better?

Amazing.

And we refuse to correct this mistake.

But, but, but...immature kids and uhhh injuries and uhhh first year and ummm doesn't have HIS players yet and....yeah, he's terrible.

[UNT90]

The most disheartening figures are the conferences numbers, specifically PPG allowed. Over 7 more per game. We never improved during the season (aside from 3point % per month, and that had a lot to do with taking less 3s as the year went on).

Outside of MTSU, it's not like this was a stellar basketball conference this year.

[foutsrouts]

I suspect our rebounding ranking wasn't too bad simply because we missed so many shots. Oh well, at least he helped everyone improve their fashion sense.

[UNT90]

I suspect our rebounding ranking wasn't too bad simply because we missed so many shots. Oh well, at least he helped everyone improve their fashion sense.

Yes, there were lots of rebounds to be had. Lots.

[GRN-WHT]

Brandan Walton will take us to the sweet 16 next year.

[GreenBat]

Brandan Walton will take us to the sweet 16 next year.

Are there 16 teams in the new CUSA?

[Green Dozer]

Talking with another fan about local recruiting today. We were both at Benford's press conference and remember him giving a shout out to some AAU coaches in attendance. Yes he did talk about recruiting the metroplex heavily. So far, with the exception of Wesley, not the case.

Edited March 25, 2013 by Green Dozer

[greenminer]

Brandan Walton will take us to the sweet 16 next year.

CUSA tourney 1-and-done?

[UNT90]

CUSA tourney 1-and-done?

The question must be asked: Does every team in CUSA qualify for the conference tournament? Even the cellar dwellers?

[Harry]

The question must be asked: Does every team in CUSA qualify for the conference tournament? Even the cellar dwellers?

Each team qualifies for the tournament, with the exception of UCF this past year but I think that was because they cheated.

[Green Dozer]

Brandan Walton will take us to the sweet 16 next year.

Isn't he declaring for the NBA Draft?

Edited March 26, 2013 by Green Dozer

[Green Dozer]

Are there 16 teams in the new CUSA?

Regardless, the number of teams will become one of the excuses or part of some diatribe on the radio as to why we are not successful.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Green Dozer

[Green P1]

Isn't he declaring for the NBA Draft?

He'd be wise to. I'm pretty sure the Mavs suck this year because they don't have him.

[EagleMBA]

Did anyone watch the Marquette tournament game? Deja vu all over again.

[KRAM1]

Did anyone watch the Marquette tournament game? Deja vu all over again.

Yep...sure did. Marquette is in the Sweet 16! Substitution patterns looked familiar.

[emmitt01]

Yep...sure did. Marquette is in the Sweet 16! Substitution patterns looked familiar.

Coach didn't

[GreenBat]

Yep...sure did. Marquette is in the Sweet 16! Substitution patterns looked familiar.

Coach didn't

Neither did the results.

[UNT90]

Buzz substitutes with a plan. UNT substitutes out of punishment or impulse, but never with a plan.

[Green P1]

Recruiting - "We are going to run off the local guys"

Fixed

Edited March 28, 2013 by Green P1

[EagleMBA]

No argument with Buzz's results. UNT90 hit it out of the park with his comment.

[KRAM1]

Coach didn't

Well, this IS NOT BB RELATED...so wrong forum but have not gotten a respionse from you about this as yet....

WHAT SIZE SHIRT FOR THE GMG.COM FLAG FB GAME FOR YOU THIS YEAR???? Am ording the shirts next Monday (April 1st). Will go with an XL for you unless I hear otherwise...bigger would be better than smaller, right?